10 interesting facts ahead of the Premier League weekend

0 – Fulham have not picked up a single point in 9 matches versus current top half opposition this season. The Cottagers host high-flying Manchester City on Saturday.

5 – West Ham have had more 0-0 draws (5) in 16 games this season as the German Bundesliga has seen all season (4 in 142 games).

11 – Arsenal are 11 points better off this season compared to their first 16 fixtures 12 months ago. Arsène Wenger’s side could guarantee being top on Christmas Day with a victory at home to Chelsea on Monday.

14 – Manchester United have collected more points on their travels (14) this season than they have at Old Trafford (11). The Red Devils host West Ham on Saturday.

15 – Gareth Barry is undefeated in his last 15 Premier League starts, since losing 3-1 at Tottenham on 21 April at his parent club Manchester City.

17 – Luis Suárez has scored more goals than half of the Premier League clubs after 16 games. The Liverpool striker was even suspended for the first five games of the season.

20 – Sunderland are guaranteed to be bottom on Christmas Day. Only West Bromwich Albion during the 2004-05 season have managed to escape relegation after being bottom on this day in the 21 previous Premier League seasons.

30 – No team has conceded more goals than Fulham heading into the final game before Christmas Day. The Cottagers play host to Manchester City this weekend – the league’s top scorers who are one goal short of averaging 3 goals per game this season.

41 – Steven Gerrard has created the most chances for teammates in the Premier League this season. The Liverpool captain plays with Luis Suárez who has fired in the most shots on goal in the league. The Reds host Cardiff City in the opening Premier League fixture this weekend.

730 – Christian Benteke has gone 10 Premier League matches without scoring. The Belgian didn’t even come close in last weekend’s 3-0 home loss to Manchester United. Benteke scored 19 goals in 34 league games for Aston Villa last season and didn’t go more than 4 consecutive games without a goal. The striker has now gone 10 league games without a goals since scoring a consolation versus Newcastle on 14 September – 4 goals in his opening 4 matches.

Barrie's View

Barrie's View is a football stat man focussing mainly on the Premier League. Barrie also contributes to other large football blogs, including Back Page Football and Foot Talk, and has been cited by the New York Times.